People That Want to Be Successful In Life

The Southern Sea - The Iowa Mountain Tour.

This song is everything texas isn't: it's quiet. It's graceful. It's small. It is, however, quite spacious, so in that regard it's quite like its home state. The Southern Sea are from a little town in Texas, and create delicate indie pop, sort of like American Analog Set, but with more emphasis on hymnal melodies. If that makes sense. The whole ep has the feel of a hand-holding sing-a-long, the sort of thing the Hoos would sing. I don't think the band is particularly religious, but they've certainly borrowed a few of their melodies from the choir. Each song is orchestrated with tiny bells, and delicate synth warbles alongside live strings and hushed voices -- it's a wonderful little thing.

The EP, titled Simple Machines for Complex Problems has actually been out since 2004, but this is the first I've heard of it. I actually stumbled on the bands myspace page and picked up their CD because it sounded so good. I don't really know much about the band, I just know that I love their songs. This song is a standout, as is the wonderful "There is a Fountain," which is just amazing.

I highly recommend tracking down a copy for yourself. As a matter of fact, you can order a copy direct from the band. Or, if you're into that whole digital thing, you can also download a copy from the always excellent AudioLunchBox.com.